Reader Question # 3: How long will it take me to find a job in #London?

Thank you for taking the time to leave such a detailed message. I didn’t expect it but greatly appreciate it.

I do realize London is very expensive, even by Vancouver standards. I have been and stayed there a couple times before. Even the hostels were pricey.

How long do you think it will take me to find a job in London? I am looking for something in accounting. Of course, if it’s quicker I will take a random job to help pay the bills but I would prefer to look for something in my field. I think the hopes of finding a job before leaving might be a bit high. It just would be nice because it would make the transition easier and easier to explain to my family considering I have a full-time job here that I would be leaving for the unknown.

Also, Would you be able to comment on if the two year condition on the YMS visa makes finding a job more difficult?

– Parents Just Don’t Understand

Hi PJDU,

No problem! I hope everything was helpful.

In response to your first question: Well, how long is a piece of string?

I know, that’s not a useful answer, but I really can’t estimate how long it will take you, specifically, to find a job. It depends on your skills, qualifications, how well you interview and what your expectations in terms of salary and job title are. Realistically, it could take between 2 weeks and 3 months.

If you’re not that picky about the work you do and you don’t mind cleaning, serving, or bartending, then with enough motivation you can be employed in a couple weeks. I suspect that since you’re an accountant, you’ll probably want to work in that field. You also likely have a lot of experience so you would be a desirable candidate.

For new graduates, or people looking to change industries, you may have a harder time. My partner Tom wanted to get into physical trading and was looking for 3 months before he found an internship. He had to stay there for six months before moving on to a salaried role.

As far as the two-year condition on the visa, it can make people less likely to take a punt on you. For contract positions, it’s fine as long as your Youth Mobility Visa is valid for the duration of the contract. However, some companies don’t have the means to sponsor Tier 2 visas (in case you want to stay) and will thus be less likely to hire you. It only becomes a problem if you want to change companies mid-way through your visa duration – eight months or a year isn’t always long enough for an employer to decide if they want to sponsor you.

If you’re lucky enough to be in a line of work that is on the occupation shortage list and you’re Canadian, getting sponsored by a company you already work for is easy-peasy from what I’ve heard.

To Find a Job More Quickly…

Get on LinkedIn. Set your location to London and make sure that it is updated with your role and detailed responsbilities. Start adding recruiters in your field that live in London to your LinkedIn. Seriously, do this immediately – not a day goes by that I don’t get messages from recruiters with “amazing opportunities”.

Submit your CV to job websites. Now that your resume has been updated, submit it to Monster, Reed, Indeed and any other ones you can think of. Find recruitment agencies for your field and start emailing them. Speak to recruiters and get some advice from them.

Set up interviews for your arrival. If a recruiter contacts you, have them set up interviews for jobs you think are suitable. Try to set some up yourself – I was able to set two up for my arrival. Even if you don’t get the jobs, it will give you an idea of interview styles and prepare you for better jobs.

Remember that it’s a numbers game. Apply to every job you see that is suitable. Unless you have some seriously unique experiences or special skills, employers may not be knocking your door down. Expect a 10-15% response rate – meaning you need to apply to 10 jobs to get at least one reply. Depending on your work, you may get a phone interview or a video interview, followed by an in-person job interview and a job offer. For one job, you may end up with 3-4 interactions (phone/video interview, in-person with HR, in-person with potential manager). For another job, you may just show up for ‘tea and a chat’ and end up with a job… At least, that’s what happened to me!

Thousands of Canadians and Australians come to the UK to find work every year. From my experience, more of them find work and stay than those that leave – good luck!

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14 thoughts on “Reader Question # 3: How long will it take me to find a job in #London?”

I found that when traveling abroad networking was the key. Whether good or bad, for a lot of jobs it’s all about who you know. Luckily, social media makes it SO much easier to start networking before you even arrive. Getting on LinkedIn is #1.

I’m freelancing now but yes, I did when I was employed full time. Vacation leave in the UK is a minimum of 20 days, so it’s easy to take a lot of time off. The other good thing about the visa is that you can work for a few months to save up and travel for a couple months and then come back and find another job. Hope that helps!

I am looking at going to the UK in mid to late August for a year or so with my boyfriend while he completes his Masters. We will likely be in either England or Scotland depending what University he chooses and will both try to stay in his residence. I am planning to apply for the Tier 5 – Youth Mobility Visa and was wondering how easy it is to freelance with it? I am looking to set up a freelance business for copywriting in Canada in the next 6 months before we go and wondered if you know the rules on then continuing that business/picking up new clients while in the UK? I do plan to look for other work as well if need be but feel it would be a good plan to keep some money coming in us for.

I’m currently working as a freelance copywriter in London. You will have the right to work here, which means you have the right to solicit clients too. As per the rules of the visa you may be self-employed provided that you don’t employ anyone or have equipment or an office valued at more than £5000.

Indeed, jobs in finance and accounting in London are quite dynamic. Prepare yourself very well and you can get a job quite quickly. Once you’re in London with a job, moving to another one is rather easy. Take a look at less known job boards such as Your Jobs 1.

Hi i am a fesh graduated student i have degree in business management and i do have a lot of experience, i would like to find a job in uk and i like to live there, is it easy to get a visa and search for a jobs in uk or its better just to apply online, i need ur advice please.

Hi Mohamad, Congrats on your degree. I don’t know if it’s easy for you to get a visa because I don’t know where you’re from. Naturally, it’s going to be better to look for work while in the UK but if you read the other questions I answered, I mentioned that working with a recruiter can help.

Hope you are doing well. I just came across your website in a random search and found that you are quite helpful to people who seek career move in London. Fortunately, I am in the process of moving to London permanently from India. I used to work as a a pqrt of back office solution team in Barclaycard’s global data processing unit based in offshore which is in India. I have three years experience. I am not quite sure if I am able to get a job in banking industry with this experience in London.If not what kind of job I can opt for in London to start with? Hope you will reply. Thanks Ipsita

This blog post really isn’t for career moves – it’s for youth mobility visa holders. In any case, that sounds like a great job and plenty of experience. I have no idea – as I’ve mentioned to others, it’s best you contact a recruiter. Best of luck with your move!

I’m a 24 yo Administration Officer in the Australian Public Service with over 4 year’s experience in the field without a degree. I’m thinking about taking advantage of the Youth Mobility Scheme and moving to London when my contact ends at my current workplace and am wondering if you think I’d have a good chance of getting an office job when I go over there next year? I see a lot of hospitality roles at pubs and restaurants which don’t pay more than 10 pounds an hour. Seems like you wouldn’t be able to live on that kind of wage. I would appreciate any advice you may have.

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Who am I?

I’m Alyssa — Anthropologist and Freelance Writer based in London and Barcelona! I write about Travel and Social Justice. Staff writer for TravelMag.com. Words in MSN, Bustle, the Globe and Mail, Porthole Cruise Magazine, Matador Network, and more.